News

Germany: according to the WSI, flexible working modes are tending to cement traditional gender roles
A study by the Hans-Böckler WSI institute, published on 05 March, has shown that the uptake of flexible working modes  (teleworking, trust based working, mobile hours /Gleitzeit) is gender...
6 March 2019
News update as of March 5, 2019
On the menu: legislation moves to tackle excessive outsourcing in the packages delivery business sector in Germany, Vodafone puts leave-time in place for victims of domestic violence at global...
5 March 2019
Spain: new measures seek to foster gender equality at work
On 1 March the Spanish government approved a decree-law containing urgent measures to guarantee equal treatment and equal opportunities for men and women at work. The legislation seeks to close...
4 March 2019
Argentina: annual salary negotiations more fraught than ever
The backdrop for negotiations in Argentina this year consists of a recession, the pressure of inflation as well as uncertainty ahead of presidential elections in October 2019. While trade unions...
4 March 2019
News update as of March 1, 2019
On the menu:  Italian pension reforms facilitate TIM (former Telecom Italia) restructuring, UK High Court to rule on whether outsourced workers can enter into collective bargaining with...
1 March 2019
France: railway company SNCF ordered to pay damages to its EWC for information and consultation failings
In May 2017, France’s state-owned rail company SNCF initiated a move to sell its holding in STVA, a subsidiary in the group’s logistics branch dealing with transport and storage of completed...
28 February 2019
EU: trade unions publish their priorities for the European elections
With three months to go before the 2019 European elections, the ETUC is calling for ‘A fairer Europe for workers’. On 26 February, after getting the green light from its 90 national organizations...
28 February 2019
Argentina: number of occupational illness and workplace accident disputes plummets
In Q3 2018, occupational illness and workplace accident disputes in Argentina plunged 42% compared with the same period in 2017 representing a record according to the study carried out by ART...
28 February 2019
EU: key points from the draft Directive on work-life balance for parents and carers (infographic)
With the representatives of Member States adopting the compromise  on a proposal for a Directive on work-life balance for parents and carers (see our article n°10979), its adoption by the European...
27 February 2019
Germany: Siemens launches its ‘Future fund’ with which employees can choose their own training
Europe’s largest industrial and electro-technical manufacturing company is also facing the changes being brought about by digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and energy transition. In...
Italy: an agreement to cover call centers
On 21 February, Italy’s employers’ body Asstel (Confindustria’s Telecom branch), together with the trade unions SLC-Cgil, Fistel-Cisl and Uilcom, signed a significant framework agreement that sets...
27 February 2019
News update as of February 26, 2019
On the menu: Brazil’s Bolsonaro government puts forward its pension reform, Google U.S. drops its arbitration clause for all employment-related disputes, 500 Spanish workers travel to the...
26 February 2019
Belgium: employers and unions agree upon a draft cross-industry agreement for period 2019-2020 (in brief)
Despite difficult negotiations that saw trade unions critical of the ‘too low’ 2019-2020 wage margin threshold calculated by the Central Economic Council at 0.8% (c.f. article No. 10968), twenty...
26 February 2019
Italy: time for money – the new trend in company agreements
At some Italian companies, agreements reached with trade unions include arrangements that ‘exchange’ time for money. For example, workers have been given the opportunity to convert part of their...
25 February 2019
Spain: Vodafone agreement over 1,000 job loss plan
Vodafone Spain is set to implement its plan to wield the redundancy axe. The relevant trade unions: CCOO, UGT, and STC, have agreed to a social plan that intends for the Vodafone Spain workforce...
25 February 2019
News update as of February 22, 2019
On the menu:Audi plans job cuts at management level, reference period for calculating working hours extended in South Korea, law on equal pay for men and women comes into force in Portugal, bill...
22 February 2019
Most viewed articles of the month on mind HR
What readers clicked on the most last month.
What readers clicked on the most last month.
1
Oliver Dietrich (IG Metall): “The advent of AI can be a means of deepening social partnership within companies”
In Germany, trade unions want to influence how AI is deployed in companies. Oliver Dietrich is an AI project manager at the regional office of the IG Metall trade union in North Rhine-Westphalia...
2
EU: social partners split over competitiveness and action on job quality
The European Trade Union Confederation and BusinessEurope have published their response to the consultation document on the European Commission's upcoming EU quality jobs initiative. The two...
4 February 2026
3
Germany: collective bargaining negotiations begin in chemical industry
Collective bargaining talks in Germany’s chemical and pharmaceutical industries are due to open this week, covering nearly 580,000 employees across around 1,700 companies. With the sector facing...
3 February 2026
4
Italy: new generational renewal agreement penned at UniCredit
The agreement signed on 30 December by UniCredit, Italy’s second-largest banking group, with the Fabi, First-Cisl, Fisac-Cgil, Uilca and Unisin trade unions aims to continue generational...
5
France: social partner talks extend far beyond contractual terminations
After a false start on 3 December, French social partners resumed talks on 7 January 2026 on potential changes to the unemployment insurance agreement, including the rules governing compensation...
12 January 2026
6
EU: banking sector social partners commit to combating violence and harassment
On 15 January, the trade union federation UNI Europa Finance and three employers’ associations in the banking sector signed a joint statement on preventing violence and harassment in the...